Department for International Development

Middle East: Refugees

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding is given annually by the UK to assist refugee projects in the Middle East.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Department for International Development is providing support to refugees in a number of countries in the Middle East including in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Yemen and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In financial year 2015/16 our support totalled more than £204 million.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding the Department for International Development is making available for family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights this year.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding the Department for International Development will make available to family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights organisations this year.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to accelerate the rate of progress toward the Family Planning 2020 goal of enabling an additional 120 million women and girls in the world’s poorest countries to use modern methods of family planning by 2020.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support women and girls around the world to access universal family planning and sexual and reproductive health services as agreed at the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government is determined to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to modern family planning methods. We were instrumental in ensuring the Sustainable Development Goals included two targets covering universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights and we are encouraging other countries to increase their commitments. Our investments in family planning aim to reach 24 million additional women and girls by 2020 and we are on track to meet this. In 2014, the most recent year for which figures are available, UK spending on family planning was £203 million, exceeding our 2012 London Summit commitment to double our yearly spend in this area.We are currently developing our plans to 2020. As well as a large commitment to the United Nations Population Fund Supplies Programme (£356m until 2020), DFID also supports the Family Planning 2020 Secretariat, work on shaping reproductive health markets through the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition.

Climate Change: Islands

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with international partners on tackling the difficulties being experienced by low-lying island states due to rises in sea levels and the increased frequency of tropical storms.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government is engaged in regular discussions with partner Governments, other donors, the private sector and key stakeholders to help target support to build the resilience of communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, for example through coastal flooding and tropical storms. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2015 the UK led an initiative to focus attention on the vulnerability of Commonwealth small island states.

Burundi: Humanitarian Aid

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency plans are in place to provide humanitarian aid in the event of a poor harvest in Burundi.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government is very concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi and its humanitarian consequences. Burundi had high levels of food insecurity before the political crisis. However, the increase in market prices, the impact of late and heavy El-Nino rains, and the loss of livelihoods could result in further food insecurity and malnutrition.DFID Ministers have already committed £3 million for humanitarian preparedness and early response within Burundi. We have further set aside contingency funds of up to £4 million should the situation deteriorate. DFID will monitor the humanitarian and food security situation and ensure appropriate support is provided if the situation warrants it.

Rwanda: Equality

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are providing to the government of Rwanda to tackle levels of inequality there.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: DFID supports various programmes that tackle economic and social inequalities in Rwanda. Our programmes on social protection, education and agriculture all support the Government of Rwanda to address inequality and focus on the needs and rights of the poorest and most excluded people. In addition to DFID’s direct support to Government programmes, we also work with the private sector and other partners to promote inclusive economic growth that promotes social cohesion and reduces economic inequalities, creating decent and sustainable jobs for all. We also work with non-governmental organisations and civil society to address economic, social and gender inequalities. We have three dedicated programmes working on gender and women and girls’ empowerment, focusing on Gender Based Violence Prevention, the empowerment of adolescent girls, and addressing harmful social and gender norms.

Developing Countries: Cancer

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential contribution of addressing childhood cancer to the third Sustainable Development Goal.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The third millennium development goal includes the intention to reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment by 2030: this includes all forms of cancer. Reporting will be based on data from country health information systems.DFID’s health focus is to improve the provision of basic health services for the poorest by strengthening health systems, improving health worker capacity and increasing access to essential medicines and equipment. Increasing coverage, access and quality will strengthen health services to address all health problems including childhood cancer. DFID also supports some specific efforts to tackle childhood cancer, such as a project through World Child Cancer in Burma, which seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment and care for children with cancer.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments of Baroness Goldie on 8 September (HL Deb, col GC173), how much UK aid has been given in total to Pakistan over the past five years, and what percentage of that has been used (1) to assist and protect minorities, and (2) to promote Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since financial year 2011-12, the UK has provided more than £1.2 billion of Official Development Assistance to Pakistan. A commitment by Pakistan to respect human rights is one of the three principles set out in the Development Partnership Arrangement which provides the basis for regular bilateral assistance talks between the UK and Pakistan.The UK Government raises human rights issues and the rights of minorities on a regular basis at the highest levels in Pakistan and we ensure our development assistance targets poor women, men and children, regardless of race, religion, social background, or nationality. DFID does not fund programmes that directly promote Article 18, but we do help to foster tolerance and social cohesion between different religious groups through our AAWAZ voice and accountability programme in 4,500 villages across 45 districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It reaches over 3 million poor men, women and minority groups, including religious minorities, to address issues of inequality, discrimination and prevention of violence.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will decide whether the airport at St Helena will open to commercial traffic; what criteria will be used in making that decision; and when they expect the information necessary to make that decision to be available.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Following certification by the regulator, ASSI, in June, the airport is open to flights that meet the Category C conditions set out in the St Helena Government’s Aerodrome Information Publication; this is provided to all prospective airlines and their pilots. The wind conditions at the Airport preclude commercial services at this time. A decision on when commercial services can begin will be made once sufficient information is available to make a decision which reflects the paramount importance of safety.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish and place in the Library of both Houses the Met Office Report on climatology and wind shear relating to St Helena airport, submitted in October 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Met Office report was commissioned by the St Helena Government. It is therefore their report. Information in this report, and more recent data on the climatology and wind shear, is provided by the airport operator to airlines and pilots when applying to fly into St Helena.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish all representations they have received following the delay in opening the airport at St Helena to commercial traffic.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The St Helena Government, supported by DFID, is in discussions with a number of possible air service providers. On commercial grounds, it would not be appropriate to publish the representations at this time

St Helena: Airports

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what detailed research was carried out into potential problems with the proposed airport at St Helena before the contract was signed in 2011, and what were the results of that research.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: A detailed Feasibility Study was undertaken in 2004. This study looked at a wide range of issues associated with the development of the airport.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what enquiries they have received regarding compensation claims arising from the delay in the opening of St Helena airport to commercial traffic, and what response they have given.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Enquiries from claimants seeking compensation is a matter for the St Helena Government. DFID has not received any claims for compensation related to the St Helena Airport.

St Helena: Aviation

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with Comair, the preferred bidder for commercial air services to St Helena, and with what outcome.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The current contract for air services is between the St Helena Government and Comair. Comair remain engaged in discussions about flying to St Helena when the time is right.

Health Education

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to increase access to information about health and health care for both members of the public and health workers globally.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK government is working with many global partners to increase access to information about health and about health care. A number of our partners are service providers who work directly with patients, providing information as well as services; others are engaged in social marketing and improve understanding about health prevention, protection and care seeking. We also invest in global partnerships, such as the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the STOP TB Partnership whose members include patient organisations that seek to increase access to information.

Healthcare Information for All

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the work of Health Information for All.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: DFID research and evidence programmes, in particular, invest in outputs that increase knowledge about health and health care provision and one of the programmes (TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) is a member of Health Information for All.

Department for Education

Schools: Asbestos

Baroness Donaghy: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to eradicate the presence of asbestos on school sites in England and Wales.

Lord Nash: The issue of asbestos in schools is a serious one and the government is supporting those that are legally responsible for managing asbestos in schools. The Health and Safety Executive, which is the lead regulator on managing asbestos advise that as long as asbestos is in good condition and unlikely to be damaged or disturbed, it is not a significant risk to health to pupils and students during the course of their daily activities. On this basis, the department has provided targeted guidance to schools on the effective management of asbestos in their schools and has recently concluded a voluntary data collection exercise to understand how duty holders are managing asbestos in their schools. The department directly funds the removal of asbestos through schemes such as the Priority Schools Building Programme and provides capital funding for asbestos management and removal where appropriate for those schools that have identified that asbestos is in poor condition or poses a high risk of deterioration. The department is not committing to the removal of asbestos in all schools as blanket and accelerated removal of asbestos in schools is potentially more dangerous and may involve greater risk to school children and staff. It is the aim of the government that, over time, as more school buildings are replaced and refurbished, all asbestos will be removed from schools.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Youth Clubs: Closures

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many youth centres have been closed since 2010 and what assessment they have made of the impact of those closures on young people.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide how to allocate funding for youth services, according to local need. Individual local authorities would be best placed to advise on any changes there have been to the number of youth centres in their local area.

Youth Services

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many youth service staff posts have been removed since 2010 and what assessment have they made of the affect of the reduced provision for young people.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide how to allocate funding for youth services and as part of this, youth service staff posts, according to local need. There is an existing statutory duty on local authorities through Education Act 2006 (Section 507B) to secure, as far as is practicable, sufficient services and activities to improve the wellbeing of young people. Individual local authorities would be best placed to advise on any changes there have been to the number of youth service staff posts in their local area.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what purpose is served by the National Citizen Service; who benefits from its provision; and what diversity data is available relating to that service.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: NCS was created to help build a more responsible, more cohesive, more engaged society. The government is committed to providing a place on NCS for every young person who wants one. Social mix is at the core of National Citizen Service and all young people, regardless of background, are supported to take part in the programme. In 2014, 17% of NCS participants were eligible for free school meals, compared with around 8% of young people of the same age in the general population. The national picture of NCS shows that young people from disadvantaged and minority ethnic backgrounds are well represented. The latest evaluation showed that 30% of NCS participants were from Black, Mixed or Asian backgrounds compared with 19% of the general population. The 2014 evaluation demonstrates that NCS graduates are more confident leaders and decision-makers. 7 in 10 NCS graduates felt more confident about getting a job, and more than 9 in 10 graduates felt NCS helped them develop useful skills for the future. Data from the summer 2014 programme showed that participants who were eligible for free school meals generally showed larger increases in personal resilience than others.

Sports Competitors: Finance

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Olympic Games in Rio, and the potential adverse impact on funding for elite athletes of Brexit, what steps they will take to ensure proper funding for such athletes to support their successful participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The London 2012 Olympic Games were a huge success with sold-out venues and the best British performance for over 100 years in winning 65 medals. The Games left a legacy of increased participation and world-class sporting venues which are now being used by our elite athletes as well as local communities. The commitment from the Government immediately following the London 2012 Olympic Games to confirm and sustain Exchequer support for the UK Sport World Class Programme was a significant moment in underpinning the success of Rio, providing UK Sport, and the National Governing Bodies of sport, with the necessary financial support to invest in medal success across the Olympic and Paralympic sports. I am confident that this success will continue at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, and through to Tokyo in 2020 and beyond. Since 2012, UK Sport funded athletes have given back over 18,000 days visiting schools and local projects as part of our commitment to inspire the next generation.

Sports: Public Participation

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Olympic Games in Rio, what steps they will take to encourage greater participation in sport in the UK, in particular among women and ethnic minorities.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The brilliant performance of Team GB at this year’s Olympic Games will have inspired many to take part in sport and physical activity. We are determined to get more people from under-represented groups including women and ethnic minorities taking part in sport and physical activity and to remove any barrier that prevents them from doing so. Government’s sport strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for An Active Nation’ states that in future government will, via Sport England, support work designed to get more people from under-represented groups engaging in sport and physical activity and wherever possible, this focus on under-represented groups will run through all Sport England funding.

Busking

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the contribution that busking makes to community life.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The Government is clear that live music and street entertainment play an important role in community life and can generate a positive atmosphere that can be enjoyed by all. It can help in introducing performers to new audiences and contributes significantly in establishing and developing new talent.

BBC: Royal Charters

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the draft BBC Charter and Agreement will be laid before Parliament.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The BBC's draft Charter and Framework Agreement published was published on Thursday 15th September.

Museums and Galleries: Fees and Charges

Lord Temple-Morris: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to allow publicly owned museums and art galleries to impose charges for entry.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The Government is committed to maintaining free admission to the permanent collections of major museums and galleries, as set out in ​the 2015 ​manifesto, and government funding to national museums is provided with this condition. ​​DCMS-sponsored museums can and do charge for temporary exhibitions and special events. Charging at other publicly owned museums is the responsibility of the organisations that operate them, for example local councils.

Home Office

Refugees: Children

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied child refugees have been transferred to the UK under the terms of the Immigration Act 2016 from (1) France, (2) Italy, and (3) Greece.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Our records currently indicate that since Royal Assent, 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act 2016 have been transferred to the UK. Details on the European country these children arrived from are not currently available. This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

Refugees: Children

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many child refugees have been transferred to the UK because they had an existing family connection in the UK from (1) France, (2) Greece, and (3) Italy, in (a) 2015, and (b) 2016 to date.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Our records currently indicate that in 2016 the Government has transferred just under 100 unaccompanied refugee children to the UK under the Dublin Regulation, the majority of which are from France. This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.In 2015, around 20 unaccompanied refugee children in Europe were accepted for transfer to the UK.

Fires

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) domestic fires, and (2) fires in industrial and commercial buildings, were recorded in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, and (c) 2015; and what estimate they have made of the direct and indirect economic and environmental costs of those fires.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Data from the Fire Incident Recording System are published by financial year.(1) Fire and rescue services attended 31,899, 31,329 and 31,333 dwelling fires in England in financial years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively.Dwelling fires are fires in properties that are a place of residence i.e. places occupied by households such as houses and flats, excluding hotels/hostels, residential institutions such as student halls of residence and care homes for children and elderly people. Dwellings also includes non-permanent structures used solely as a dwelling, such as houseboats and caravans.(2) Fire and rescue services attended 2,385, 2,280 and 2,129 fires in industrial premises in England in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively. There were 6,132, 5,821 and 5,819 fires in commercial buildings in England in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively.The latest figures were published in August in the Fire Statistics Monitor, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-statistics-monitor-april-2015-to-march-2016 while detailed tables can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables.We have not estimated the economic and environmental costs of these fires.

Detention Centres

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to publish the Short Term Holding Facility Rules and the statutory guidance governing such facilities following the most recent consultation on those rules, which ended on 14 April.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Having considered the very detailed responses received to the consultation exercise, we intend to make the statutory rules governing the regulation and management of immigration short term holding facilities in due course.

Refugees: Children

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied child refugees have been accepted into the UK since the passing of the Immigration Act 2016.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Our records currently indicate that since Royal Assent, 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act 2016 have been transferred to the UK. This is provisional management information that is subject to change. It has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.

Refugees: Syria

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that their pledge to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020 is honoured.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We intend to resettle up to 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament. We will continue to work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify appropriate cases, prioritising the most vulnerable. The numbers resettled in a particular period will depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR in the field and the availability of suitable accommodation and care packages in the UK. We continue to work closely with local authorities to manage the arrival of the Syrian refugees in to the resettlement places they have pledged. We will manage the flows based on need and in support of the wellbeing of the people and communities involved, rather than rushing to meet arbitrary targets. However, we are clear that we want to help as many people as we can as quickly as possible.

Visas: Overseas Students

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that regular updates of the list of Tier 4 visa sponsors are published when sponsors are found not to be compliant with government requirements.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The register of licensed Tier 4 sponsors is published daily and will continue to be. Sponsors that lose their licence as a result of non-compliance are removed from the published list of sponsors.No information is routinely published regarding sponsors found not to be compliant. In January 2015 data was published showing Tier 4 sponsors whose status appeared as revoked from 2010 to 2014. This information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tier-4-sponsors-whose-status-appeared-as-revoked-from-2010-to-2014

Police: Stun Guns

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals have been tasered by the police in England since 2012 and what protected diversity characteristics applied to each individual.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office publish police use of TASER ® X26 statistics annually on GOV.UK. These releases contain statistics on police use of TASER ® X26 from the 43 Home Office police forces in England and Wales up to 2015. Protected diversity characteristics do not form part of this collection. The table below shows total police use of TASER ® X26 across England and Wales since 2012. 2012201320142015Total use of TASER ® X26 since 2012Number of times TASER ® X26 was used8,16110,38010,09510,40139,037Source: Home OfficeFollowing the former Chief Constable David Shaw Use of Force Data review, published in July 2016, a new data collection is being implemented by the police which will allow for some protected characteristic data from 2016. We expect the data collected to be published locally by police forces and a sub-set of the data to be included in the mandatory annual data return for forces in 2017/18 for publication as Official Statistics. The current TASER publications can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/use-of-taser-statistics

Radicalism

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publish details of the Islamist de-radicalisation treatment and of the organisations that deliver it.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The new Desistance and Disengagement Programme will be launched as a pilot in October 2016. The pilot will focus on those convicted of terrorist, or terrorist-related offences, who have served their custodial sentences and are due to be released on licence.

British Nationals Abroad: Islamic State

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide details of the de-radicalisation programmes used for British Jihadis returning from Iraq and Syria, including (1) how many have undergone such programmes, (2) who delivers those programmes, and (3) the content of those programmes.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: All those who return from engaging in the conflict in Syria and Iraq can expect to be subject to investigation to determine if they have committed criminal offences abroad or represent a threat to our national security. Decisions to prosecute are taken, independently of Government, by the Crown Prosecution Service. Assessments are also made of the appropriateness of other forms of intervention, including referral to mental health services or to the Channel programme, for example. For reasons of national security, we do not comment further on action taken with respect to returners from Syria.

Refugees: Syria

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities have agreed to accept Syrian refugees.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: More than 170 local authorities have provided firm offers of places and many more have pledged to resettle refugees under this scheme. We continue to work with them all in order to meet our commitment. Progress on resettlement is reported in quarterly immigration statistics, including the local authorities participating in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and how many refugees have been resettled in each area.

Mobile Phones: Proof of Identity

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits to the police and intelligence agencies in combatting terrorism and crime of making it mandatory for purchasers of pay-as-you-go SIM cards to produce appropriate forms of identification.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: This issue was considered in detail by an expert group comprising representatives of law enforcement, the security and intelligence agencies and communication service providers following the terrorist attacks in London in July 2005. The experts’ findings remain valid. They concluded that the registration of ownership of mobile telephones would not deliver any significant new benefits to the investigatory process.Mobile phones are not the only devices capable of making calls or sending messages. Many laptops, computers, popular MP3 players and games consoles also support the sending of messages and phone calls. These devices are increasingly being used for communications. It would be necessary to include these other devices in any mandatory registration scheme.Separately, the person who buys the device is not necessarily the person who will use it. Mobile phones are often sold or given to family members or friends which would mean that such information would quickly become out of date.Furthermore, those who were keen to avoid providing details would still find ways to circumvent the scheme, such as purchasing or registering phones under false identities.

Female Genital Mutilation

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether new guidance has been issued to the police on female genital mutilation following the Serious Crime Act 2015, and if so, when.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.On 1 April we published multi-agency guidance on FGM for all professionals which we have put on a statutory footing for the first time. The guidance outlines the new measures to tackle FGM introduced by the Serious Crime Act 2015, and includes information specific to the police.The College of Policing published Authorised Professional Practice (APP) for the police on investigating FGM in March 2015. The APP includes guidance on how officers can spot the signs of FGM, the reasons why it is practised, how it is carried out and the role of the police in tackling it.

Metals: Theft

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to combat metal theft.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Through the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, the Government created a robust licensing regime to support legitimate dealers whilst providing local authorities and the police with the powers needed to tackle rogue dealers and reduce metal theft. The legislation is supported by co-ordinated enforcement action by police, local authorities and other partners. Latest available statistics for 2014/15 show that 27,512 metal theft offences were recorded by police compared with 62,348 offences in 2012/13.

Metropolitan Police: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the disclosure by Equal Justice of details of six new discrimination claims involving race, sex and gender against the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), what action they are taking to ensure that MPS black and ethnic minority groups are able to work in an environment that is safe and free from abuse.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government takes allegations of unlawful discrimination in the police very seriously and is firmly committed to ensuring the highest possible standards in policing. Such allegations must be investigated thoroughly and, when and where required, perpetrators must be dealt with robustly.We are reforming the police disciplinary system to ensure it delivers greater transparency and accountability. We are implementing the recommendations of the Chapman Review to make the police disciplinary system less adversarial with a greater focus on rehabilitation, development and improvement where possible, whilst ensuring the most serious matters are dealt with appropriately and robustly through the police conduct system.It is essential that the actions and behaviour of racist police officers are not allowed to undermine public confidence in the police’s ability to respond to, investigate and fight crime, or to tarnish the reputation of the police and the majority of officers who work closely and effectively with people from all communities.The public must also have trust that the police represent the communicates they serve, and the proportion of police officers who are from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds has now risen to its highest level ever with forces taking important steps to attract staff from a diverse range of backgrounds.

HM Treasury

Pensions: Taxation

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much tax has accrued to the Exchequer from the reported removal of £6.1 billion from pension funds since the new pensions flexibility rules were introduced, and how much they estimate will accrue by 2020.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The latest estimate of the tax revenue consequences of the introduction of pensions flexibility was set out in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook in March 2016. This stated, in paragraph 4.40, that: “tax from pension withdrawals relating to the pension flexibility measure is expected to be around £0.9 billion for the whole of 2015-16, around £0.2 billion higher than assumed in the original costing”. The estimated longer term tax impacts of the pensions flexibility measures announced at Budget 2014 were set out in Chart 1.11 (page 45) of the Budget 2014 document.

Investment

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the trend of investment in the British economy since the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Before the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, the UK government published short-term and long-term assessments of the likely impact on the economy of the UK leaving the EU. HM Government is monitoring economic developments closely and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility will produce an updated economic forecast alongside Autumn Statement 2016.

EU Grants and Loans

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the remarks by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that “structural and investment funds projects signed before the Autumn Statement and Horizon research funding granted before we leave the EU will be guaranteed by the Treasury after we leave”, what steps they are taking to ensure that there will be adequate staff resources in government departments to handle EU funding applications promptly in the months up to that Statement.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Departments will continue to have the resource available to sign all projects in the ordinary course of business prior to the Autumn Statement, as detailed by the Chief Secretary in his letter of 12th August 2016. A of copy this letter is available in the Library of the House.

Financial Services: Islam

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 7 April (HL7296), whether alcohol can be sold or consumed on the premises of Richmond House, Wellington House and 22–26 Whitehall.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: There is no legal prohibition on consuming alcohol on the premises of Richmond House, Wellington House and 22–26 Whitehall. However, the residing departments do not have alcohol licences and cannot, therefore, sell alcohol on the premises.

Debts: Young People

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help young people who are concerned about their debts from student loans and mortgages.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government recognises that there are those who face problem debt. The Money Advice Service (MAS) is responsible for the coordination of publically funded free to client debt advice and is financed by a levy on the financial services industry. Mortgage lending is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The regulation of mortgage lending is based on the principle that mortgages should only be advanced where there is a reasonable expectation that borrowers can repay. All lenders must conduct a thorough affordability assessment in order to ensure any lending is responsible. Graduates only have to start repaying their student loans when their earnings are above the repayment threshold of £21,000. Any outstanding debts are written off 30 years after graduation.

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Greater London

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of higher stamp duty costs on activity in London’s housing market throughout 2016.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The housing market is affected by a wide variety of factors including exchange rates and the economic outlook. The Government continually monitors the housing market as part of the ordinary process of policy development. At Autumn Statement 2014 the Government announced a radical reform of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on residential properties, cutting the tax for 98% of homebuyers who pay it. The Government believes it is fair that those who can afford to buy the most expensive properties contribute the most. Whilst the reform does increase the SDLT paid on the top 2% of transactions, this increase is small relative to the price of the property.

Cabinet Office

10 Downing Street: Cats

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the costs of Larry the 10 Downing Street cat's veterinary treatment in July were met by donations from staff, and whether they plan to refund those staff.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The costs were met by staff through voluntary staff donations due to their affection for Larry. There was no compulsion to donate and no refunds have been requested. The remaining funds will contribute towards the future upkeep of the Chief Mouser.

Department of Health

Dentistry: Higher Education

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average cost per student to the public purse of providing bachelor-level education in dental surgery.

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average cost to the public purse of providing a foundation training place for a dental graduate.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Information on the average cost to Health Education England (HEE) of providing Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) education and Dental Foundation Training (DFT) can be found in the tables A, B and C below. Table ACost to HEE of BDS educationBDSAverage tariffFee ContributionMaintenanceTotalYear 1£32,600--£32,600Year 2£32,600--£32,600Year 3£32,600--£32,600Year 4£32,600--£32,600Year 5£32,600£9,000£3,000£44,600Total£163,000£9,000£3,000£175,000 Notes:Average Tariff is the placement fee to cover the placement.Fee contribution is the tuition fee payable in year 5.Maintenance is the Bursary cost.These figures represent the best estimate of average cost to HEE, there may be other costs to the public purse, for example to provide student loans that are not included in these estimates. Table BCost to HEE of providing dental foundation training in secondary carePlacement support£50,900Salary/Maintenance£34,100Total£85,000 Notes:1. Training Placement Support cost is the cost of the dental practice providing training & facilities.2. Trainee Salary/Maintenance cost is the contribution to the trainee salary and associated costs. Table CCost to HEE of providing dental foundation training in primary careDental foundation training salary£31,044Dental foundation trainer grant£9,324Service costs£64,164Total£104,532 Notes:1. Training salary is the reimbursement of the salary paid to the dental trainee.2. Trainer grant is the sum that represents the time spent in supervising a trainee.3. Service costs is a sum that represents the service costs of employing a trainee.

Palliative Care

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to provide guidance to Clinical Commissioning Groups on working with charities to provide comprehensive palliative care services for patients of all ages; and if so, when.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In April 2016, NHS England updated its guidance Commissioning Person Centred End of Life Care: A Toolkit for Health and Social Care. This document highlighted that fundamental to any commissioning plan for end of life care is a local strategy, jointly developed with local people and key partners, clearly setting out a vision for end of life and palliative care. Included in this are examples of how working with third sector organisations can benefit service provision for palliative care services, as well as links to guidance from these organisations. A copy of the toolkit is attached.In addition, Our Commitment to you for end of life care published on 5 July 2016, highlighted that the Department will work with the National Partnership for Palliative and End of Life Care and the End of Life Care Coalition of charities to promote the implementation of the Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care Framework in local areas. A copy of the report is attached.



Toolkit
(PDF Document, 4.83 MB)




Government Response
(PDF Document, 885.36 KB)

NHS: Staff

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are employed full-time and part-time by NHS England as (1) audiologists, (2) cardiac physiologists, (3) gastro-intestinal physiologists, (4) neurophysiologists, (5) respiratory physiologists, and (6) sleep physiologists.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS Digital collects data on the number of staff employed full-time and part-time by the National Health Service in England. Within the data held by NHS Digital it is not possible to definitively identify those staff groups requested. Therefore a best approximation has been provided based on the guidance available to NHS organisations. This information is in the attached table and provides the latest available data as at 31 May 2016.



NHS DIGITAL TABLE ATTACHMENT
(Word Document, 25.36 KB)

Mental Health Services: Children

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the additional £1.25 billion made available in the March 2015 budget for child and adolescent mental health services (1) was actually spent, and (2) was spent in addition to 2014–15 spending levels.

Lord Prior of Brampton: £143 million of additional funding was allocated in 2015-2016 for child and adolescent mental health services. Of this £143 million, £126.2 million was spent. The Government has committed to making available the full £1.25 billion announced in the March 2015 budget to transform children and young people’s mental health services over the lifetime of this Parliament. From 2016-2017, NHS England are establishing a baseline spend for specific programme areas such as children and young people’s mental health and will be able to track increase in spend on an annual basis.

Mental Health Services: Essex

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Basildon and Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group has diverted finance intended for mental health services to reduce financial shortfalls in the acute sector.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No such assessment has been made. NHS England allocates funding to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission health services, including mental health services, to meet the needs of local communities. CCGs are responsible for decisions about how their allocation is used, taking account of local priorities, and are committed to increasing spending on mental health each year in line with the increases in overall National Health Service funding allocations. NHS England advises that, in line with Basildon and Brentwood CCG’s move towards parity of esteem, the CCG has increased investment into mental health services in 2016/17.

Mental Health Services: Essex

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the Basildon Clinical Commissioning Group spending less than the national average on mental health services, according to NHS Benchmarking figures.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No such assessment has been made by this Department. NHS England advises that the National Health Service benchmarking data for 2014/15 (the latest data available) shows that, compared to a demographically similar cluster of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), Basildon and Brentwood CCG spends slightly more than the cluster average on mental health services (£13,499,988 per 100,000 population against £13,080,187) and is therefore not considered an outlier. This analysis of the benchmarking data is used because within the CCG cluster the prevalence of mental health conditions, and therefore the appropriate spending, is likely to be comparable.

Mental Health Services: Essex

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the performance of Basildon and Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group in ensuring that mental health services are adequately funded.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No such assessment has been made by this Department. NHS England advises that Basildon and Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group is focused on achieving the best outcomes for its patients within the available funding. It continues to work towards parity of esteem for mental health, focussing on the implementation of the national strategy, The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, while endeavouring to ensure that all services it commissions for individuals with mental health needs are based on local intelligence supported by the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. A copy of The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health is attached.



MH FIVE YEAR FORWARD VIEW
(PDF Document, 2.55 MB)

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the letter to the Times of 17 August by doctors of the Federation of Specialist Hospitals suggesting that some EU doctors will leave the UK, and the statement on the same day by the Royal College of Surgeons that EU doctors are three times more likely than other foreign doctors to face disciplinary action for inadequate command of English and that patients lives are being put at risk, what plans they have to advertise for doctors in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and other fluent English speaking countries.

Lord Prior of Brampton: It is not for the Government to become involved in the advertising and employment of clinical and healthcare staff. Local healthcare organisations, with their knowledge of the people they serve, are best placed to plan and employ a workforce based on clinical need and sound evidence.It is vital for patient safety that all doctors and dentists practising in the United Kingdom have the necessary English language skills.Under the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (MRPQ) regulatory healthcare bodies, including the General Medical Council and the General Dental Council, are required to recognise primary and specialist medical qualifications gained in an European Economic Area (EEA) doctor’s home member state.National Health Service employers are expected to carry out local checks, which are compliant with European Union Law, to ensure that EEA applicants have the right skills needed to carry out their job, including the appropriate level of English language. The revision to the MRPQ Directive states that language controls must be proportionate to the activity to be pursued.

Zika Virus: USA

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what warnings they are giving to prospective UK visitors to the USA about the dangers of contracting Zika virus, and whether they will highlight the most dangerous areas in the USA.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) introduced a risk-based approach for countries reporting Zika infection ahead of cases reported from Florida in the United States of America. PHE and NaTHNaC issued travel guidance about Florida as soon as cases were announced. A copy of this guidance is attached. The first locally acquired cases of Zika were reported from Florida on 29 July 2016. The guidance advised pregnant women to consider postponing non-essential travel to Florida. Links to NaTHNaC’s detailed, site-specific advice allowed clinicians to have in-depth discussions of the transmission risks in Florida with potential travellers.A high risk alert was issued as more information became available stating: “The risk in Miami-Dade county is considered high and pregnant women are advised to postpone non-essential travel to Miami-Dade county until after their pregnancy.” Advice on reducing the risk of sexual transmission of Zika infection was also issued, which is included within the attached guidance.The situation is constantly under review and assessment, and travel and sexual transmission guidance is updated regularly as new information emerges from Florida.



Zika advice
(PDF Document, 106.77 KB)

Air Pollution

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent research findings that magnetite, derived from pollution, can damage the brain, what further research they are funding into the health risks of air pollution.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research is funding the Health Protection Research Unit in Health Impacts of Environmental Hazards, whose remit includes air pollution research. This unit is a partnership between King’s College London and Public Health England in collaboration with Imperial College London. The Research Councils, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, invest in a range of research into the health impacts of air pollution exposure in the United Kingdom and internationally. They also support research into the sources and processes controlling air pollution and how it can be better monitored and mitigated to inform integrated policies across health, the natural and built environments, transport and energy.

Lyme Disease

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new cases of Lyme disease have been diagnosed in each year since 2010; whether those figures are higher than the official forecasts of such cases; and if so, what action they are taking to raise awareness of Lyme disease.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) produces figures for England and Wales based on the number of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases. They do not include cases that are diagnosed based on clinical symptoms alone e.g. the presence of a bull’s-eye rash. Confirmed figures from the United Kingdom Zoonoses report is shown in table 1. Table 1: Laboratory diagnosed Lyme disease cases, 2010-2014 20102011201220132014England and Wales9059591,040878730UK1,2131,1891,2491,060955Source: UK Zoonoses Report, 2015  PHE does not produce official forecasts of the number of new Lyme disease cases that might be expected annually in England. PHE produces public information leaflets on how people can protect themselves against tick bites, and what to do after a tick bite. These are available on the Government’s website and copies of these are attached. Advice for patients suspecting they may have Lyme disease is available on the NHS Choices website and a copy of the relevant webpage is attached.



NHS Choices Lyme Disease
(PDF Document, 148.96 KB)




Lyme Disease Signs & Symptoms
(PDF Document, 361.95 KB)




Ticks and your health
(PDF Document, 337.2 KB)

Female Genital Mutilation

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken under the national Female Genital Mutilation Prevention Programme.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department’s Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Prevention Programme was launched in 2014 to improve the way in which the National Health Service responds to the health needs of girls and women who have had FGM, and to actively support prevention. As part of the FGM Prevention Programme, working in partnership with NHS England, we have delivered a comprehensive change programme, with practical guidance and materials to support professionals and NHS organisations to understand how best they can tackle FGM. The programme outputs have: - Introduced the first ever FGM data collection across the NHS, now published quarterly by NHS Digital as an official statistic;- Published specialist FGM safeguarding guidance to help health professionals protect against FGM;- Published specialist guidance to help health professionals commission appropriate FGM services;- Commenced the early adopter phase for a new national safeguarding system linked to a child’s electronic health record;- Awareness-raising roadshows and outreach work across the country have directly reached over 3500 professionals;- Published educational films about FGM and updated content on the NHS Choices website.- Delivered a patient and public facing FGM prevention advertising campaign using African satellite television, radio and Facebook. This has generated over 650,000 views on social media since its launch in July 2016;- Launched comprehensive e-learning on FGM, free of charge to all NHS staff. This was developed by Health Education England, with more than 4000 staff having used this to date;- Supported a number of projects with health partners including Royal Colleges, delivering a range of practical measures to improve clinical skills, awareness and preparedness to treat and safeguard women and girls with FGM;- Sent all GPs, approximately 8,000 practices, FGM information packs containing resources to enable them to support patients living with FGM; and- Worked with the York Health Economics Consortium to cost FGM treatment in the NHS and consider tariff implications. This work is nearing completion. In this next phase of the Programme we have launched an ambition to make sure FGM survivors are aware of and have access to the right mental health support. We are also focusing on embedding recent developments across NHS systems.

Food: Labelling

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there are sufficient obligations on local authorities to inspect food production companies, and on retailers, to ensure that no food crime or mislabelling is occurring.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Food labelling rules are set at European Union level and provide a framework for mandatory information to be provided on food labels as well as ensuring that food information is not misleading. This Government has pressed for better information for consumers during negotiations relating to food labelling in Europe. Food businesses are responsible for ensuring their products are safe and accurately labelled. The Government backs this up with risk-based checks carried out by local authorities. In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs develops validated testing methods under its Food Authenticity programme to check for mis-description and fraud. These methods are used by public analysts and local authorities to support food law enforcement. The majority of food law enforcement is delegated to local authorities throughout the United Kingdom who carry out checks of food businesses in their area to ensure compliance with food safety, traceability and labelling requirements. To support this, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) makes funding available to UK Enforcement Authorities for sampling and surveillance of food to help ensure risk-based, targeted checks on food products throughout the food chain. The Government has set up the National Food Crime Unit to increase the capacity to identify, disrupt and prevent food crime. It does this in part by developing intelligence packages and passing these either to the police service or to a local authority to take forward the investigation. Measures to co-ordinate food standards enforcement across Local Authorities are kept under continual review by the FSA to improve effectiveness of delivery, working with local authorities and trading standards professional bodies.

Developing Countries: Tobacco

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of tobacco use on international development as well as on public health.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government recognises the significant impact of tobacco use on international development. Tobacco use is the world’s single most preventable cause of disease. If current patterns of use persist, tobacco will kill about 1 billion people in the 21st century. Evidence indicates that by 2030, over 80% of the world’s tobacco-related mortality will be in low and middle income countries. Tobacco use is also a major barrier to sustainable development. A major driver of social inequities, tobacco use imposes significant social, economic and environmental harm on individuals, families and national economies.

Developing Countries: Tobacco

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to share the UK's experience in implementing tobacco control policies with low- and middle-income countries.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The United Kingdom regularly supports other countries to develop tobacco control policies, sharing our expertise and experience. Most recently, the UK has provided support to other countries looking to implement standardised packaging. In addition, the UK Government is funding a project to strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, using official development assistance funds. Through this project, we will share the UK’s experience in tobacco control, thereby supporting low- and middle-income countries to save lives by putting effective measures in place to stop people using tobacco.

Smoking: Developing Countries

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of smoking rates in low- and middle-income countries and how those rates are predicted to evolve over the next century; and how they take such rates into account in awarding development funding.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government recognises the significant impact of tobacco use in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Tobacco use is the world’s single most preventable cause of disease and the number of tobacco users is increasing in LMICs. If current patterns of use persist, tobacco will kill about 1 billion people in the 21st Century. Evidence indicates that by 2030, over 80% of the world’s tobacco-related mortality will be in LMICs. Tobacco use is also a major barrier to sustainable development. A major driver of social inequities, tobacco use imposes significant social, economic and environmental harm on individuals, families and national economies. Given the recognised impact of tobacco on international development, the United Kingdom Government is funding a project to strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, using official development assistance funds. Through this project, we will share the UK’s experience in tobacco control to support LMICs to save lives by putting effective measures in place to stop people using tobacco.

Nurses: Training

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applicants there were for the three-year full-time graduate nursing programmes to start in autumn 2016; how many students have been offered and accepted places to commence study in 2016; how many (1) applicants, and (2) accepted offers, there were for each year from 2011 to 2015; and what is their assessment of the trends over the past six years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Information relating to the number of applicants for, and admissions to, pre-registration nursing programmes is not collected by the Department. Information on applications and admissions to full time education courses in the United Kingdom is collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

Nursing Associates: Training

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to make a decision about commencing recruitment of nursing students onto nursing associate programmes of study.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making to support healthcare employers to recruit apprentices onto nursing associate and graduate registered nursing programmes.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In May 2016, the Government confirmed proposals to introduce a new nursing support role, a nursing associate. Health Education England (HEE) are in the process of establishing test sites to educate and train the new nursing associates, which will be confirmed in the autumn. Once the test sites are confirmed with health and care employers, HEE will recruit at least 1,000 nursing associates into training by the end of 2016. A draft Higher Degree Level Nurse Apprenticeship Standard has been submitted to the Department for Education for approval by the Nurse Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group. Trailblazer Group members are from a wide variety of health and care employers. Once the standard is approved, the Trailblazer Group will commence work on the associated assessment plan which will ensure employers and training providers are geared up to support the apprenticeship when it is ready to deliver.

Nursing Associates

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Nursing and Midwifery Council will make an announcement about the regulation and registration of qualified nursing associates.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government remains committed to the principle of proportionate regulation of healthcare professions. We are currently reviewing how to assess when statutory regulation is appropriate, which will help inform a Ministerial decision on the regulation of nursing associates in due course.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to enable the Nursing and Midwifery Council to process disciplinary hearings in a more timely, effective and efficient manner.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent body responsible for the regulation of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom. The NMC is responsible for discharge of its statutory duties including fitness to practise (FtP) investigations and hearings. The Department is working closely with the NMC on a number of proposed legislative changes which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its FtP processes. The Department has recently consulted on these proposed changes and is currently considering the responses received. The Government is committed to ensuring that professional regulation continues to provide effective protection for patients.